Request for Expressions of Interest (EOI)For McGill groups and units interested in moving into the RVH

In the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) site, we have a unique opportunity to create initiatives that will bring McGill into the future.1 When we consider the academic vision for the RVH, we are in effect asking the questions, “What do we want the McGill of 10, 20 or 50 years to be? How can we dream big?”

Beyond our obvious need for space, the RVH provides an opportunity to build and invigorate an academic neighbourhood with increased collaboration and interactions. Creativity and fresh ideas often arise when we connect people with different backgrounds, education and perspectives. Diverse neighbourhoods are healthy and inspiring, capable of nourishing creativity.

The Principal’s Task Force on the Academic Vision and Mission of the RVH Site is calling on McGill units and groups interested in moving or expanding to the RVH to submit a vision for their “neighbourhood.” These groups can be academic, administrative or student organizations. A group’s need for space will, of course, form part of the consideration as to how the RVH might be occupied. However, to advance McGill’s mission well into the future, the RVH needs to be much more than a collection of units that currently have space requirements.

We invite bold, imaginative expressions of interest to serve as a starting point for discussion and exploration of broader collaborative opportunities. This EOI will signal the unit’s or group’s willingness to work with the Task Force to explore their vision and partnerships, and, if chosen for the RVH, to take a leadership role in developing the initiative. While it is too early in the process to make firm commitments, the Task Force asks units to have the dean(s) or vice-principal(s) responsible sign off on their submission to indicate the faculty’s or portfolio’s willingness to explore the idea.

The earliest time that space would be available in the RVH is 2021. Therefore we need to look far beyond short-term needs. The Task Force asks interested units to take into account emerging directions, either in their discipline or across the university sector, such as:

the central role of universities as a source of skilled talent, ideas and innovation for social, cultural and economic development in a global knowledge society

increasing interactions and integration among disciplines in teaching and research increased student desire to learn across disciplines and academic institutions increased student focus on enhancing the social, cultural and economic well-being of their

communities through teaching, learning and research designed for impact growth in digital learning and blended learning rapid growth of new opportunities associated with emerging digital technologies

1 The decision as to whether or not McGill will in fact acquire the RVH site has not yet been made, and will depend on the results of the feasibility study and availability of funding. For more information and background, please see https://www.mcgill.ca/principal/rvh-task-force

1

Submissions should be a maximum of five pages (in font size 12), and answer the five groups of questions below, as appropriate. Units may include any other information to help describe their initiative within the page limit. Sample questions and information are provided in Appendix 1 to assist units in refining their vision. Appendix 2 provides an overview of the types of space available on the RVH site.

Submissions are due February 12, 2016, and should be emailed to rvh_vision@mcgill.ca.

2

EOI Template1. What is your vision?

2. Which units, groups or organizations would be good partners to create your ideal neighbourhood? Would their proximity within the RVH help advance your initiative? With which McGill groups have you spoken or worked to develop this vision? Are there any external partners that you envision as natural collaborators?

3. What type of space would you need to foster this increased collaboration and interactions in service of academic excellence and scholarship with enduring impact? How would your initiative use the unique characteristics of the RVH location?

4. How would your vision add value to the University as a whole and advance its academic mission?

5. How would your vision benefit the communities we serve off campus, locally, nationally or internationally?

**************************************************************************

To be completed by the appropriate dean(s) or vice-principal(s) responsible for the unit or units involved:

I am comfortable with the Task Force exploring this initiative as a possible candidate for space in the Royal Victoria Hospital site:

_____________________________Signature

3

Appendix 1: Developing Your VisionThe information and questions below are provided to assist groups in developing their vision. Submissions should answer only the questions that are relevant to their proposal.

Future Directions: What directions, themes or technologies do you see emerging that will have an impact on the

way your group will work in the future? How does your vision take these into account? How does your vision encourage creativity to anticipate or create future academic or

administrative innovations?

Integration of Student Life and Learning How does your unit currently integrate student life and learning, and how would your initiative

enhance those activities? With which partners or groups might your initiative interact to foster an increase in student-

community or peer-peer connections, through activities such as experiential learning, learning communities, informal exchanges, community partnerships, or connection with mentors?

The Neighbourhood Which units, groups or organizations would be good partners to create your ideal ecosystem?

Would their proximity within the RVH help to advance your initiative? How might those interactions encourage innovation, excellence and impact, whether in

learning, research, community service, administrative services or some combination of these? How would your initiative connect to other parts of McGill to ensure an integration and flow of

people and ideas? What type of physical, virtual or program connections might you need? Would your initiative involve other Montreal post-secondary institutions? If so, how? How would your initiative strengthen McGill’s flagship academic areas? How could your initiative help advance key thematic clusters in Montreal and Quebec, such as

international NGOs, pharma/biotech, sustainability and green/clean tech, arts and culture, aerospace, IT and gaming, or social entrepreneurship?

Hubs of Attraction How will your initiative attract people, either from the McGill community, other academic

institutions, partners or the general public, to the RVH site? What types of spaces (e.g. a central agora, exhibition and event space, conference centre)

would be needed to help your initiative to attract people and encourage them to interact? What are the advantages for Montreal, Quebec and Canada to bring people and partners here? How would you leverage the unique advantages of Montreal, Quebec and Canada to help

attract people and partners to the RVH?

4

Effective and Efficient Services How would your initiative use the RVH space to bring together or reorganize administrative

services to make them more effective and efficient? E.g.• Shared service hubs • Data/computing centers• Specialized service offering

5

Appendix 2: Overview of Space at the RVH Site (see attached map Appendix 3) If it acquires the RVH, McGill would design the site to create three types of spaces:

A. Heritage buildings that will be used by McGill, but have certain constraints due to the need to preserve their historic character

B. New buildings that can be designed to accommodate most purposesC. Heritage buildings that will be occupied by partners

Further details on the three types of spaces can be found in the tables below. For more background on the site and its possible uses, please see:

The video at the bottom of this page: https://www.mcgill.ca/principal/rvh-task-force A PowerPoint presentation found here:

https://www.mcgill.ca/principal/files/principal/mcgill_and_the_future_of_the_rvh_site_.pdf

Abbreviations used in the tables below: GSM = gross square metres CR/Dry = classroom / dry lab Wet = wet lab

A. McGill Heritage Buildings |Wing A (part); Wing E, L, H |~25,000 GSM

SPACE CHARACTERISTICS

Heritage exteriors have to be retained and renewed. Exterior walls will not fully support modern sophisticated

temperature/humidity controls. Interiors will be totally gutted and renovated with new infrastructure In the A and H wings (Administration and Hersey Pavilions) the

relatively low ceilings (3.5m slab to slab) and compact existing structural elements limit accommodation of large classrooms, large open spaces, and the HVAC services for wet labs.

E and L wings (East and West wings flanking the main entrance) narrow, but with high ceilings (4.7m slab to slab) and very high percentage of glazing, though constrained by limited ways of egress

6

POSSIBLE USES Offices, administrative centres Narrow wings best for offices, open study, limited partitioning etc. Small (<100 seat) classrooms Dry labs, with limited services Student offices, study space Reading rooms, lounges, small cafeterias Some wet lab possibilities in H wing, but would be limited, and not

high quality.

EXAMPLES OF SCALE As an administrative/office centre, this space could accommodate approximately 1000 staff (equivalent to 3 times the James Building’s number of staff)

As an academic centre, without wet labs, these buildings could accommodate approx. 300 academic staff and 1500 students (equivalent to 2 Leacock Buildings)

B. McGill New Building | Wing A (part), M, S | ~40,000 GSM

SPACE CHARACTERISTICS

Wings A (part), M, S will be demolished and replaced by new buildings that can be custom designed for any University purpose.

POSSIBLE USES All major University uses: classrooms, teaching labs (dry and wet), offices, research labs (dry and wet), library, student services, food services etc.

Convocation hall (5000 seats)

EXAMPLES OF SCALE If the facility was divided evenly between an administrative office building, an academic dry discipline unit, and an academic wet discipline unit, the capacity would be:o Admin offices: 550 staffo Academic (dry): 175 acad. staff; 2000 studentso Acad. (wet lab): 75 PI’s; 450 grad students

7

C. Heritage Buildings Used By Partners | Wings P, R, F | ~25,000 GSM

SPACE CHARACTERISTICS

Heritage exteriors must be retained and renewed. Exterior walls will not fully support modern sophisticated temperature/humidity controls.

Interiors will be totally renovated with new infrastructure Relatively low ceilings and compact existing structural elements limit

accommodation of large classrooms, large open spaces, wet labs. Potential to demolish some of wing P (the AMI) and replace with new

construction.

POSSIBLE USES Partners would occupy these buildings for 40-50 years, after which the usage reverts to McGill.

Partners must have the financial means to refit and operate buildings. A recent study by Altus Inc. showed the highest economic impact for

Quebec would be occupancy by scientific laboratories. Corporate offices International research centres Housing, including student housing Hotel/conference centres

EXAMPLES OF SCALE As an administrative/office centre, this space could accommodate approximately 1000 staff (equivalent to 3 times the James Building)

For housing, each of the R and F wings could accommodate approximately 250 students.

8

Appendix 3: RVH Site Map

9